Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Butler Family Letters (Transcripts) Butler Family Letters 8-17-1853 Letter to Brother and Sisters from Isaac Smith and Margret Smith Isaac Smith Margaret Smith Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/butlertranscripts Recommended Citation Smith, Isaac and Smith, Margaret, "Letter to Brother and Sisters from Isaac Smith and Margret Smith" (1853). Butler Family Letters (Transcripts). 9. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/butlertranscripts/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Butler Family Letters at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Butler Family Letters (Transcripts) by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@wou.edu.
Butler Family Letters Digital Collection Western Oregon University Archives Hamersly Library 345 N. Monmouth Ave. Monmouth, OR 97361 For permission to use, copy, and/or distribute the materials in the Butler Family Letters Digital Collection or for more information regarding this collection, please contact University Archives at libarchives@wou.edu or (503) 838-8899. Title: Letter to Brother and Sisters from Isaac and Margret Smith (Polk County, Oregon Territory) Date: August 17, 1853 Transcription: Polk County August the 17th 1853 Dear Brother & sisters I with plasure write you a few lines to let you know that we are all as well as usal at prsant I hope these lines will reach you safe injoying the same blfsing Margarets health was very poor when we arrived here I think it was cused by fateage She is gaining at this time. We have had no sicknefs since we left home except the children had the measels & I had the mountan fever it all went very light, in fact I have used lefs medasin since i left than is usial for me to use in the same length of time. We have had no sicknefs that was serious since we left old Warren we have abundent cause to feel thankful for our good health and prsperaus jurney. We started with 47 persons in all and got here with 48 We had 72 head of horses & mules and got here with 69 We started with 16 wagons and got here with 15 Edward Grounds had one to brake down, one mare stole & one drownded in Deshoots river your father had one drownded at the same time. Your father & mother stood the trip ver well considering the work thatf thay had to do on the road, young folks use to wait on the old women, but times has changed. We arrived at the first farm in Oregon 5th August Your mares go qite poor before we got here thay are not so poor as mares generaly get that croses the plains so thay say here. Our muls stood the trip very well mine is all in good order except the 3 year old that I got from you & the horse that I got from Van Horn The mule that had the swiney got well the Norcrofs mare is better I worked here some on the last end of the trip the Greg mare stood the trip the best of any I had. my two large wagons stodd the trip well I have sold the one that Henry made for $150 the one that I got from Dedman was a poor concern??? I broke one axel [??] at Kainsvlle & the other in the Cascade Mountains. Thay wasant half [??] & made out of brash[??] roten shugartree.
I took some notes of our trip intending to give you some particulars of our trip but I lost them before i reached here so I shall have content myself by saying that the road waz better than I expected the greater portion of the road is az good as could be desied though thare is some deep mud and sand some high rocky hills & some rough level road but all this constituted a small portion of the road with good wagons & teams and a carful driver thare is nokind of danger till you get to the cascade thare it takes care & patience a good rsolution full belly & strong back the grafs was generaly good it was scrce on sweet water & snake river, in the black hills and on [Rare] river in the Blue Mountains I never saw anything to eqal it inside of a field or out. The fare part of our trip it was very wet and cool it raind every day at one time for three weeks. we had a great eal of time firing and building bridges. I supose you will come to the conclusion tht we have saw a hard time of it but this is not the case the men folks saw a very easy time of it and it wold not bin hard on women in good health I saw a much easier time of it than if I had bin at home. Its rported and generaly believed in Illinois that a company cant come through to Oregon with out falling out & seperating our company can unite in saying that that is false people can do right on the plains as well as anywhare else we all stayed together the whole trip and partie as good friend as we was when we started. Your father Hutchinsinson Ed is at Elizahes Ira & myself is at Carter T George has bought him a claim and moved on to it it has a cabin on it and gardin fire wood and stock water it first rate land and 31/2 miles from rail timber he give 600 dollars-our relations and acquaintences are all well & doing well all that I have saw except Mason A lucas and Franky Murphy apears to be satisfied than thay was it a common thing as fare as I have inquired for them that had good luck in geting here and in geting a good claim to be well satisfied those that had hard luck and had to take [hopsons] choice for a claim are generaly dissatisfied the latter is the smallest number our company likes as well as thay expected as fare as thay have saw. I have not saw anough of the contry to geve you a description of it suffise it to say at presant that thare is good land good timber & good water the land is better than I expected stock water is not as plenty as I expected everything looks flourishing her corn and some of that looks pirty well Apples trees beats anything I have saw Some bareing at three year old. When I look at the contry and get a claim I write again. If the Monmouth Democrat has stoped send me the Atlas. Send it Independence Polk County OT I have not had any leters from any of you yet write often I would like to see yo all but will hafto bid you are well at presant Isaac & Margret Smith